1 day, 2 unusual vehicle-dragging incidents in the Dayton area: What we know

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Two unusual incidents on Monday involved people bring dragged by vehicles.

Here’s a look at what happened.

Miami Valley Hospital North: 77-year-old man killed

Around 3:45 p.m. Monday, Miami Valley Hospital officers and Englewood police responded to 9000 N. Main St. for a pedestrian crash.

A preliminary investigation indicates a 60-year-old man was backing a 2007 Cadillac DTS into a parking spot at the hospital when the car went onto the sidewalk, through a mulch bed and into a guard shack before hitting two pedestrians outside the hospital entrance, according to the sheriff’s office.

The car continued to reverse for a short distance, hitting a 2017 Kia Forte. There was one person inside the Kia who was not injured in the crash.

The driver of the Cadillac put the car into drive and drove along the sidewalk, dragging the two pedestrians briefly, according to the sheriff’s office.

The driver of the Cadillac had minor injuries. A 77-year-old man, later identified as William Rodenberg, was pronounced dead at the hospital and a 74-year-old man has life-threatening injuries.

Wayne Avenue: 8-year-old injured

Later on Monday, a couple of kids were struck by an SUV at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Clover Street in southeast Dayton.

Police arrested a suspect in a hit-and-run crash Monday night that seriously injured an 8-year-old girl.

The pedestrian strike, which resulted in the young girl being dragged down the road for about half a mile, has drawn attention once again to pedestrian and traffic safety along Wayne Avenue.

Around 9:21 p.m., a 2006 Hummer H3 traveling northeast on Clover Street attempted to turn left at Wayne Avenue. The vehicle failed to yield the right of way to a family with children in the crosswalk, according to a crash report filed by Dayton police.

The Hummer hit an 8-year-old girl on a bicycle and two pedestrians.

“The driver ultimately struck multiple family members, but his vehicle caught an 8-year-old girl on her bicycle and basically drug her down the street for about a half a mile before the girl became dislodged from the vehicle,” said Dayton police Sgt. Gordon Cairns.

Police said the driver fled the scene, but witnesses followed the Hummer and relayed its location to officers who arrested the driver.

The 8-year-old was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious injuries. Police said she is expected to survive.

A couple of kids were struck by an SUV at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Clover Street in southeast Dayton on Monday, July 22, 2024. Vehicles often travel at high speeds through that intersection. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

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